Creon
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Creon (Attic Greek: Κρέων - Kreōn, meaning "ruler") is the name of two mythological Greek kings, a mythological son of Heracles, and a historical Archon of Athens.
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[edit] Mythological
[edit] Son of Menoeceus
Creon, son of Menoeceus, was the king of the city of Thebes and the father of Haemon and Megara by his wife, Eurydice. Creon and his sister, Jocasta, were descendants of Cadmus and of the Spartoi.
Creon figures prominently in the plays Oedipus the King and Antigone written by Sophocles. Both plays are among the Three Theban plays, Sophocles' trilogy about the city of Thebes in Greece.
In Oedipus the King, Creon is a relative of Oedipus, the reigning king of Thebes. Laius, a previous king of Thebes, had given the rule to Creon while he went to consult the oracle at Delphi. During Laius's absence, the Sphinx came to Thebes. When word came of Laius's death, Creon offered a part of the rule of Thebes, as well as the hand of his sister (and Laius' widow) Jocasta, to anyone who could free the city from the Sphinx. Oedipus answered the Sphinx's riddle and married Jocasta, unaware that she was his mother. Over the course of the play, as Oedipus comes closer to discovering the truth about Jocasta, Creon plays a constant role close to him. When Oedipus summons Teiresias to tell him what is plaguing the city and Teiresias tells him that he is the problem, Oedipus accuses Creon of conspiring against him. Creon argues that he does not want to rule and would therefore have no incentive to overthrow Oedipus. However, when the truth is revealed about Jocasta and Oedipus requests to be exiled, it is Creon who grants his wish and takes the throne in his stead.
In Antigone, Creon is the ruler of Thebes. Oedipus's sons, Eteocles and Polynices, had shared the rule jointly until they quarreled, and Eteocles expelled his brother. In Sophocles's account, the two brothers agreed to alternate rule, but Eteocles decided to not share power with his brother after his tenure was expired. Polynices gathered an army and attacked the city of Thebes in a conflict called the Seven Against Thebes. Although both sons of Oedipus were killed, the Thebans won the war, leaving Creon as king once more, serving as regent for Laodamas, the son of Eteocles. In response to the battle between the two brothers, Creon gave Eteocles a full and honorable burial, but ordered (under penalty of death) that Polynices' corpse be left to rot on the battlefield as punishment for his treason. However, Antigone, the daughter of Oedipus and Jocasta, who was betrothed to Creon's son, Haemon, defied him by "burying" her brother, and was entombed alive as punishment. Creon finally relented after advice from the soothsayer Tiresias, but found that Antigone had already hanged herself (as her mother Jocasta had) and Haemon, coming across her body, had fallen on his sword in grief. Upon hearing the news, Creon's wife Eurydice also stabbed herself to death. Creon was forced to allow burial for the Argives by an army led by Theseus.
In Creon's old age, a descendant of an earlier king of Thebes named Lycus invaded Thebes and, after killing Creon, took the rule.
Creon is featured in several other Greek tragedies, including Oedipus at Colonus and Phoenician Women.
[edit] Character Traits
Creon is marked by several characteristics that take on varying degrees of importance in the different plays in which he appears. In Antigone, Creon's most prominent characteristic is an expectation of loyalty and obedience. His rationale behind burying Eteocles but not Polynices is that Polynices betrayed Thebes and Eteocles did not. When his son Haemon pleads for Antigone's life.
Creon appears to intimidate the citizens of Thebes into hiding their dissent.His decree prohibiting the burial of Polynices comes across as oppressive in contrast with Antigone's individualist determination to break the decree.
While Creon can certainly appear stubborn and tyrannical in Antigone, many argue that his style of ruling and his individual actions are in fact more good-intentioned and aimed to improve the lives of citizens than he is given credit for. Creon is pitted against Antigone who holds up the will of the gods and the honor of her family above all else, and thus he appears to be against these values. His behavior, however, suggests otherwise. He aggressively preaches the concept of family honor to his son, Haemon. Creon also believes that his decrees are consistent with the will of the gods and with the best interests of the people. When a legitimate argument is raised against his course of action by Teiresias, Creon is in fact completely open to changing course, even before he learns of the deaths of his family members. [1]
[edit] Discrepancies
The Creon of Oedipus the King is in some ways different and in some ways similar to the Creon of Antigone. In Oedipus the King, he appears to favor the will of the gods above decrees of state. Even when Oedipus says that once dethroned he must be exiled, Creon waits for the approval of the gods to carry out the order once he has been crowned king.
Some explanation for these discrepancies in personality may be drawn from his characterization in 'Oedipus at Colonus.' Here, Creon takes on another persona: that of the "hard-faced politician." [2] He is reasonable and modest, staying calm and maintaining his dignity when condemned by Theseus. He is a "colorless figure" beyond his official position, which suggests that his differing personality traits in the trilogy are due to the fact that he is a flexible figure whom poets can characterize as they please. [3]
There is also a major plot discrepancy between the two plays concerning Creon's ascent to the throne. At the end of Oedipus the King, Creon takes the throne directly from Oedipus. Antigone, however, implies that Eteocles and Polynices had been given shared rule following Oedipus' excommunication, that Eteocles had taken control, and that only afterwards did Creon rule. The chart below depicts Creon ruling twice within the time period of this discrepancy—once immediately after Oedipus and once again after Eteocles. This succession explains how the two plays can be seen as consistent.
| Preceded by Laius |
Mythical King of Thebes (first regency) |
Succeeded by Oedipus |
| Preceded by Oedipus |
Mythical King of Thebes (second regency) |
Succeeded by Eteocles |
| Preceded by Eteocles |
Mythical King of Thebes (third regency) |
Succeeded by Laodamas |
[edit] Father of Creusa
Creon was a King of Corinth and father of Creusa or Glauce, Jason's second wife whom Medea murdered. Medea presented Glauce with a cursed dress, as a wedding gift, that stuck to her body and burned her to death as soon as she put it on. Creon burnt to death with his daughter as he tried to save her. Creon's wife sold Tisiphone into slavery.
[edit] Son of Heracles
Creon was the son of Heracles by an unnamed daughter of Thespius. He had a twin brother,
[edit] Historical
Creon was also the third Archon of Athens after the position was limited to a term of one year, in 00BC.
[edit] References
- ^ MacKay, L. A. "Antigone, Coriolanus, and Hegel" Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association, Vol. 93. (1962), p. 167. Stable URL: http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0065-9711%281962%2993%3C166%3AACAH%3E2.0.CO%3B2-O
- ^ Sophocles. Oedipus at Colonus. Murray, Gilbert, ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 1948.
- ^ Sophocles. Oedipus at Colonus. Murray, Gilbert, ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 1948.
